The sponsorships of MLS could while American football is gaining popularity

The growing popularity of football in the United States supported sponsorship and stadium attendance in Major League Soccer 30 years after the launch of the League.

While football finds Supreme in the world, sport is still at its beginnings of Fandom in the United States, where professional football, basketball, baseball and hockey have long been favorites among sports fans.

So far this year, MLS sponsorship revenues have increased by two figures compared to 2024. Last year, Michelob Ultra became the official MLS beer sponsor, and in 2023, the giant of sportswear Adidas won its partnership with the League.

The brands climb to the funny league, especially since it has experienced a recent increase in sales and goods sales since the world football superstar Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami CF of MLS in 2023.

The World Cup is approaching 2026 – which will take place next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico – to the coupled to “the growing cultural relevance of sport” has contributed to the growth of sponsorship of fuel, said Jen Cramer, executive vice -president of partnership marketing at MLS.

Advertisers and marketing specialists rushed to spend on live sports in the United States. In addition to the American pillar leagues, the ascent of female sports, sports for young people and football also attracted advertisers.

Even in a moment of economic uncertainty, when advertisers often remove expenses, sports should see little effect.

“Rather than hesitation, we see an increased activity with early renewals, new brands entering sport and more multi -year commitments,” said Cramer. “It is a clear sign that intelligent money is already in motion. In this environment, brands prioritize opportunities that offer efficiency, relevance and cultural credibility.”

Brands from Audi to Sports Illustrated Tickets – which recently resumed the names of name of the New York Red Bulls Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey – spent sponsorship.

In addition to its MLS partnership, AB inBev’s Michelob Ultra has also concluded an agreement to become the world sponsor of official beer of the Concacaf Champions Cup and the Concacaf W Champions Cup, competition which serve the way to the FIFA club World Cup (a tournament separated from the famous competition of the World Cup).

Sports have offered Michelob Ultra a large platform to develop its brand. The drinking company had a starry place during the Super Bowl this year, when CNBC said that the announcements cost up to $ 8 million each.

“Michelob Ultra has been an absolute rocket in recent years and is today 1 fastest growth beer in the United States,” Ricardo Marques, main marketing vice-president at Michelob Ultra, said.

Brands noted that the MLS partnership is part of the strategy of the big investment company in “passion points, such as MLS and football more widely”.

Last year, the New York Red Bulls signed an agreement on the names of the 13 -year -old stadium with Illustrated Sports Tickets, including improvements in the experience of fans in the 25,000 inhabitants arena. The financial conditions have not been disclosed.

“From the place of places and points of view of the team, I have never seen this level of integration of partners such as Illustrated Sports tickets began to deploy in Sports Illustrated Stadium,” said Scott Epstein, head of corporate partnerships at Red Bulls.

For the 2026 season, sports tickets illustrated will also become the official ticket partner for all events organized at the stadium.

Meanwhile, when Adidas agreed to extend its multi-year partnership with MLS in 2023, it served as the largest investment of the sports brand in North American football.

The agreement, which goes until 2030, is estimated at $ 830 million, previously reported CNBC. When the contract was signed in 2017, it was valued at $ 700 million.

“Our relationship with MLS extends over almost three decades, and at that time, we saw the league go from a niche property to a culturally relevant force in the world football ecosystem,” said Zola Short, principal director of sports marketing at Adidas North America.

Adidas has long established a partnership with the best European football clubs and federations.

Short also noted how MLS Fandom has changed in the United States, saying: “He is younger, more diverse and deeply rooted in the community and culture. Fans do not only watch games – they build groups of supporters, create content and integrating clubs in the identity of their city.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber told CNBC Sport in an interview in December that more than 12 million fans attended matches in 2024.

Few singular events have also been galvanizing for us football as one of the greatest of all time signed with the Miami Club.

When Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, all the statistics of the league were immediately lifted. Some wondered if MLS could not only support growth, but take advantage of it.

Until now, Messi’s halo effect has not decreased.

When Inter Miami visited the crew of Columbus and Chicago Fire – each time in the NFL stadiums – more than 60,000 fans were present for each match. The matches have made stages of attendance for the crew and fire, which have been playing since the late 1990s in the MLS since the late 1990s.

To be fair, the participation in MLS matches without Messi also increased, such as the one for a Montreal match at the Atlanta United-CF earlier this season, which has marked more than 65,000 fans present.

Social media was also a great marker of growth for the League. Before Messi played in the MLS, Inter Miami had 1 million followers on Meta- Instagram. This has since increased to more than 17 million.

MLS says that 60% of its fans base is made up of generation Z or generation Y. more than 35% is Hispanic. The two populations are attractive demographic data for advertisers and marketing specialists such as increasing expenditure bases.

However, it was difficult to measure the MLS TV public. The MLS Games are offered exclusively on the MLS season Pass of Apple TV, which does not disclose the metrics of the audience.

However, Garber told CNBC Sport last year that there were “more subscribers than Apple and Apple thought”.

The lack of transparency of the MLS viewer, as well as the fact that there are much fewer advertising breaks during football matches compared to other sports, contributes to what seems to be a lower consumer commitment compared to other live games, according to Edo, an advertising data company.

Live sports in general are always advantageous, however: male football has been a reliable engine of advertising commitment, with 14% more advertising efficiency than the average for prime hours, according to EDO. The effectiveness of advertisements is measured by the probability that people are looking for products and offers they have seen during trade breaks in football matches, which makes advertisers more precious niches.

This is why sponsorships, especially those that come with team jersey patches or campaigns in the stadium, have resulted in the biggest dollars in sport.

The 2026 World Cup is over a year old but is considered a key moment to MLS to capitalize on the Football Fandom in the United States

“It is not a secret for anyone that we are in a golden era here in the United States when we welcome several international events,” said Michelob Ultra’s brands.

Last year, the Copa America tournament, organized by the United States, saw its latest match between Argentina and Colombia on average more than 6 million viewers in the United States, marking the second television of the Cup without money in the history of Fox sport.

In June, the FIFA club World Cup, which offers teams from around the world against each other, including MLS, will start in Miami.

But this is the next World Cup in North America 2026 – in which national teams compete – which should be the highest point and a main driver of the American Fandom.

“The last time the United States organized the tournament in 1994, this sparked the creation of MLS and led to an increase of more than 30% of the interest of football in this country,” said MLS. “While the MLS continues to evolve, more brands recognize that the league offers more than just visibility. It provides direct connection with a dynamic fans base and an opportunity to strengthen sustainable cultural relevance in a sport that contributes to shaping the future of sports marketing.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct that the Red Bulls stadium has a capacity of 25,000 after a previous version has disturbed the figure. It has also been updated to correct that I am involved in 1 million followers on Meta Instagram before Lionel Messi joined the MLS. An earlier version destroyed this statistic.